| General Non-Fiction posted June 9, 2022 |
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I'm going to be leaving Saturday to go South
Anxious Thoughts
by T B Botts
In two days I'll be on my way to Southeast Alaska; Hoonah to be exact. I spent forty five years there and watched a number of changes occur. It went from a sleepy native fishing village to a logging community to a tourist destination. Some changes I didn't mind so much, but now the whole nature of the place has been changed and it will never again be as it once was.
I've been spoiled I guess, living in a city where there are doctors and dentists and supermarkets. We have a Wal-Mart in town as well as a handful of other big box stores. There are an abundance of restaurants if one should feel like taking a night off from cooking. Home Depot and Lowes provide for any building needs one may have. It's quite a contrast to what I'm going to.
Hoonah is located on Chichagof Island and is accessible only by airplane or boat. There is a state ferry that runs twice a week between Juneau and Hoonah, and there are daily flights between the two cities. Apparently the airline company recently raised the rates for a one way flight, a twenty minute trip, to $140.00. With no competition, they can get away with doing that. I'm traveling from Anchorage to Juneau around five hundred miles for about $210.00; incredible.
I spoke to a friend several weeks ago who mentioned that he had paid $10.24 for a head of lettuce. There are only two stores in Hoonah, and neither are very well stocked anymore. One depends entirely on stocking the shelves with whatever the owner can buy at Costco in Juneau. Another friend had told me that the primary store had huge gaps in the shelves and when you can find something, it's sold for a premium. He mentioned that a can of Campbell's tomato soup was $3.00 and a can of Folger's coffee was $22.00. The prices are outrageous. I'll try to stock up when I fly into Juneau, but there is a limit to how much I can pack over.
I'm going down to work on my commercial fishing boat and hopefully spend a few months fishing. The price of fish is up, but so is the cost of diesel fuel, so I'm afraid one will offset the other. Frankly, the boat is uncomfortable for living on. I don't have internet there, so there will be no Fan Story to keep me occupied during the slow times. If the weather is bad and I get stuck somewhere, it's going to be exceptionally trying.
There have been two and sometimes three cruise ships in port at the same time, so the town of 750 is invaded by up to 8,000 tourists, gawking, crowding the sidewalks, clogging the streets and getting in the way in general. While there are some jobs provided, one has to weigh at what expense?. I'm glad I'm not living there anymore, and frankly I don't see how anyone can afford to live there.
The immediate future doesn't look too rosy at this moment to me. Perhaps I'll be pleasantly surprised and the boat will run fine, the weather will be good, there will be a lot of fish and I can stay away from the maddening crowds, but if the past is any indication of what to expect, I think it's going to be a trying summer. I hope I can last out the season. If it becomes too much, I'll look into selling the boat and leaving Hoonah for good. Honestly, I've become quite fond of sitting on the back deck of my house here and drinking tea and listening to the birds. It might be time to do more of it.
In any event, for those who might be following me, that's the plan. I would covet your prayers and you will be in mine as well. If I don't contact you before, I hope you all have a blessed summer.
In two days I'll be on my way to Southeast Alaska; Hoonah to be exact. I spent forty five years there and watched a number of changes occur. It went from a sleepy native fishing village to a logging community to a tourist destination. Some changes I didn't mind so much, but now the whole nature of the place has been changed and it will never again be as it once was.
I've been spoiled I guess, living in a city where there are doctors and dentists and supermarkets. We have a Wal-Mart in town as well as a handful of other big box stores. There are an abundance of restaurants if one should feel like taking a night off from cooking. Home Depot and Lowes provide for any building needs one may have. It's quite a contrast to what I'm going to.
Hoonah is located on Chichagof Island and is accessible only by airplane or boat. There is a state ferry that runs twice a week between Juneau and Hoonah, and there are daily flights between the two cities. Apparently the airline company recently raised the rates for a one way flight, a twenty minute trip, to $140.00. With no competition, they can get away with doing that. I'm traveling from Anchorage to Juneau around five hundred miles for about $210.00; incredible.
I spoke to a friend several weeks ago who mentioned that he had paid $10.24 for a head of lettuce. There are only two stores in Hoonah, and neither are very well stocked anymore. One depends entirely on stocking the shelves with whatever the owner can buy at Costco in Juneau. Another friend had told me that the primary store had huge gaps in the shelves and when you can find something, it's sold for a premium. He mentioned that a can of Campbell's tomato soup was $3.00 and a can of Folger's coffee was $22.00. The prices are outrageous. I'll try to stock up when I fly into Juneau, but there is a limit to how much I can pack over.
I'm going down to work on my commercial fishing boat and hopefully spend a few months fishing. The price of fish is up, but so is the cost of diesel fuel, so I'm afraid one will offset the other. Frankly, the boat is uncomfortable for living on. I don't have internet there, so there will be no Fan Story to keep me occupied during the slow times. If the weather is bad and I get stuck somewhere, it's going to be exceptionally trying.
There have been two and sometimes three cruise ships in port at the same time, so the town of 750 is invaded by up to 8,000 tourists, gawking, crowding the sidewalks, clogging the streets and getting in the way in general. While there are some jobs provided, one has to weigh at what expense?. I'm glad I'm not living there anymore, and frankly I don't see how anyone can afford to live there.
The immediate future doesn't look too rosy at this moment to me. Perhaps I'll be pleasantly surprised and the boat will run fine, the weather will be good, there will be a lot of fish and I can stay away from the maddening crowds, but if the past is any indication of what to expect, I think it's going to be a trying summer. I hope I can last out the season. If it becomes too much, I'll look into selling the boat and leaving Hoonah for good. Honestly, I've become quite fond of sitting on the back deck of my house here and drinking tea and listening to the birds. It might be time to do more of it.
In any event, for those who might be following me, that's the plan. I would covet your prayers and you will be in mine as well. If I don't contact you before, I hope you all have a blessed summer.
I've been spoiled I guess, living in a city where there are doctors and dentists and supermarkets. We have a Wal-Mart in town as well as a handful of other big box stores. There are an abundance of restaurants if one should feel like taking a night off from cooking. Home Depot and Lowes provide for any building needs one may have. It's quite a contrast to what I'm going to.
Hoonah is located on Chichagof Island and is accessible only by airplane or boat. There is a state ferry that runs twice a week between Juneau and Hoonah, and there are daily flights between the two cities. Apparently the airline company recently raised the rates for a one way flight, a twenty minute trip, to $140.00. With no competition, they can get away with doing that. I'm traveling from Anchorage to Juneau around five hundred miles for about $210.00; incredible.
I spoke to a friend several weeks ago who mentioned that he had paid $10.24 for a head of lettuce. There are only two stores in Hoonah, and neither are very well stocked anymore. One depends entirely on stocking the shelves with whatever the owner can buy at Costco in Juneau. Another friend had told me that the primary store had huge gaps in the shelves and when you can find something, it's sold for a premium. He mentioned that a can of Campbell's tomato soup was $3.00 and a can of Folger's coffee was $22.00. The prices are outrageous. I'll try to stock up when I fly into Juneau, but there is a limit to how much I can pack over.
I'm going down to work on my commercial fishing boat and hopefully spend a few months fishing. The price of fish is up, but so is the cost of diesel fuel, so I'm afraid one will offset the other. Frankly, the boat is uncomfortable for living on. I don't have internet there, so there will be no Fan Story to keep me occupied during the slow times. If the weather is bad and I get stuck somewhere, it's going to be exceptionally trying.
There have been two and sometimes three cruise ships in port at the same time, so the town of 750 is invaded by up to 8,000 tourists, gawking, crowding the sidewalks, clogging the streets and getting in the way in general. While there are some jobs provided, one has to weigh at what expense?. I'm glad I'm not living there anymore, and frankly I don't see how anyone can afford to live there.
The immediate future doesn't look too rosy at this moment to me. Perhaps I'll be pleasantly surprised and the boat will run fine, the weather will be good, there will be a lot of fish and I can stay away from the maddening crowds, but if the past is any indication of what to expect, I think it's going to be a trying summer. I hope I can last out the season. If it becomes too much, I'll look into selling the boat and leaving Hoonah for good. Honestly, I've become quite fond of sitting on the back deck of my house here and drinking tea and listening to the birds. It might be time to do more of it.
In any event, for those who might be following me, that's the plan. I would covet your prayers and you will be in mine as well. If I don't contact you before, I hope you all have a blessed summer.
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Artwork by pfemd at FanArtReview.com
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